Archived News

Media Release: New 4x4 trail opened in Camdeboo National Park

Date: 2009-07-09

Camdeboo National Park has just opened a brand new 4x4 trail in the Park, which surrounds the town of Graaff-Reinet in the Eastern Cape.

The Koedoeskloof 4x4 Trail provides a 7-kilometre drive to the top of the mountain, providing unique and spectacular views of the landscape. The trail can be completed – with a return journey following the same track – in about three hours but the Karoo tranquillity and scenic vistas beg for a full day outing.

The turning point of the trail, which lies on top of the mountain in the Winterhoek area of the Park, is the perfect place for a picnic lunch or tea break and a picnic table is provided here.

The trail is graded between 2 on the flatter sections and 4 on the steep, rocky sections. The section of the trail just before the top of the mountain is steep and should only be attempted in dry weather.

Koedoeskloof 4x4 trail can be accessed via the Valley of Desolation gate, with the turnoff to the trail well signposted about 3 kilometres after the turnoff to the Valley of Desolation. No booking is necessary for those who wish to complete the trail and no fee is payable, apart from the Park conservation fee. Visitors can only attempt the trail in a 4x4 vehicle.

The first section of the trail travels through Nama Karoo vegetation where you might spot springbok, red hartebeest and blesbok. The trail then passes through thicket vegetation where kudu and baboons are common. Cape mountain zebra and grey rhebok can be seen on the final section of the trail which is vegetated with open grassland and bush clump savanna.

On the route, there are wonderful views of the Nqweba Dam, the plains of Camdeboo and an unusual back-angle view of the Valley of Desolation.

This new 4x4 trail provides another activity for visitors to the Camdeboo National Park, which is famous for the world-renowned Valley of Desolation, as well as opening up a new area of the Park for viewing.